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BORN
1949
DIED
2020
Cornelia Love Obituary
1949-2020
Durham
Cornelia Spencer "Spencie" Love, historian and author, passed away on March 15, 2020, in Durham, North Carolina. She was born in 1949 in West Palm Beach, FL, to the late James Spencer Love and Martha Eskridge Love of North Carolina. She is survived by two children, Daniel Epps (Danielle D'Onfro) of St. Louis and Margaret "Maggie" Epps (John Heltman) of Baltimore; five grandchildren, Oscar, Gus, and Lewis Epps, and James and Samantha Heltman; and five siblings, Charles, Martin, Lela, Julian, and Robert Love. She is also survived by Jim Perry, her partner, and Garrett Epps, her former husband.
Love's book, One Blood: The Death and Resurrection of Charles R. Drew (UNC Press 1996) traces the life of a famous African-American surgeon, Dr. Charles Drew, exploring the myth that the man who was responsible for developing the blood bank was denied a blood transfusion because of his race. While the legend proved untrue, Love's book illustrates why the myth persisted given the history of the unequal medical care African Americans have received in the US.
Love was a great granddaughter of Cornelia Phillips Spencer (1825-1908), a poet and historian who wrote The Last Ninety Days of the War in North Carolina. She is also a niece of the late Cornelia Spencer Love (1892-1981), a librarian at the University of North Carolina and author of the book, When Chapel Hill Was a Village.
Love attended Miss Porter's School (diploma 1967), Harvard University (A.B. magna cum laude, 1971), and Duke University (Ph.D. 1991). She began her career in North Carolina during the 1970s serving to ease the transition to integrated public schools. Later, she worked as a journalist, writing for a variety of newspapers and magazines. She taught history at the University of Oregon and Duke University and served as the Assistant Director of the Southern Oral History Program at the University of North Carolina.
The family plans to hold a memorial service later in the year when conditions allow. Memorial donations may be made to the NAACP.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Memories and Condolences
for Cornelia Love
4 Entries
Nicolas Prentzas
July 16, 2023
I knew Spencie in Greensboro back in the early 1960s. We were about the same age and were neighbors. We had many mutual friends. I liked her very much. She was a fine young lady. She was a compassionate person. She will be missed.
Bart Freeman
August 16, 2020
Spencie Love was one of my teachers at Duke in late 1980s or 1990 and she encouraged me to write. A very kind woman who was also inspiring. I remember her well and am sad to hear of her passing.
Barbara Crutchfield
July 27, 2020
In loving memory of a wonderful person. We will love you and miss you always.
Susie Cole Wean
April 7, 2020
I am so saddened to read of Spencie's passing. We were elementary school classmates who lost touch. She was one of the brightest in our class and her life's work demonstrates that. I wish I had know her as an adult. Please accept my condolences and deepest sympathy for her family's loss.
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